In video media distribution systems, estimates are often made of how many viewers have seen a particular program or were watching a particular channel. The viewership information can be used for a variety of purposes, but is often used by networks and other content providers to set rates for show advertisers. Although viewership estimates are accepted by the industry, advertisers have always sought improved viewership information to facilitate the selection of programs on which to advertise. Improved information allows advertisers to ensure that they are paying an accurate amount for the audience that they are reaching. Improved information also allows advertisers to better target desired audiences that they are trying to reach.
Conventional methods for estimating viewership information include using special receivers that record what programs and channels a user has seen or by asking a selected set of viewers in representative markets to record their viewing information using paper or electronic logs. Both methods can be inaccurate if, for example, the number of viewers that are sampled is too small or if the sample set does not accurately reflect the overall viewership for a wider broadcast region. Moreover, errors can also creep into the records maintained by viewers, thereby providing erroneous estimates.
An alternative method to estimate viewership is to use the return-path capability of video-content hardware platforms already existing in many TV households. The return-path is used to measure—passively and invisibly—the viewing choices and behavior of a large subset of the viewers in a given region. There are, however, many challenges in converting this raw data into useful audience viewership measurements. One of those challenges is to estimate when the return-path device is left on when the TV or other video monitor is turned off.